Fender jack



0, WETHAYER 1 739,488

FENI DER JACK Filed July 27. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Dec. 10, 1929. w,E, THAYEg 1,739,488-

FENDER JA K Filed July 2?, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 10, 1929UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM E. THAYER, OF SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO B. I. THORNTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA FENDER JACK Application filed July 27, 1928. Serial No.295,787.

This invention is a fender jack whereby an automobile fender readily maybe subjected to predetermined .strain in any desired direction, therebyto restore a distorted fender to normal position or to hold it inadesired position while being connected in place or other- .wise workedon.

Restoring distorted fenders to a normal position and condition isrecognized as an ex.-

ceedingly difiicult operation, and as no two fenders are distortedalike, no provision, so far as I am aware, heretofore has been madewhich would serve in practically all cases. This is Well understood whenit is remembered that in some cases the fender must be lifted to restoreit to a normal position; in other cases the fender must be depressed;and in still other cases the fender must be strained lengthwise the car,either forwardly or backwardly. To construct a tool which would permitall such operations and thereby meet the normal difficulties of fenderrepair work, without serious and costly complication of parts, and onewhich is completely portable and within the working knowledge of theordinary -nechanic, requires a careful consideration of all the problemsto bemet.

The presentinvention has for its principal object the provision of afender jack in which the operator, by proper disposition of the parts,may subject the fender or any part thereof to a lifting pressure, adepressing pull, or a strain lengthwise the fender at will, thus torestore the fender to a normal position. or hold it while beingconnected or worked on.

A further object is to provide a fender jack including a rod. a travelerhaving a step-bystep movement longitudinally of the rod, and a fenderclamp to be engaged by the traveler, the rod being adapted to be held toresist pressure thereon in either direction, and the clamp beingreversible with respect to the traveler, thereby to cause the travelerto exert a lifting pressure or a pull on the fender in the movement ofthe traveler on the rod.

A further object is to combine with the fender jack, a hub-clamp, whichserves to anchor the main rod with relation to the hub of the wheel,either against pushing or pulling strain, to facilitate strain on thefender in either direction longitudinally of the car.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a perspective View of the fender jack, the parts being shownin position to lift a fender, indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the traveler, showing particularlythe means for controlling the position of the upper lift.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the fender clamp.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the wheel hub clamp.

Fig.5 is a perspective view of the device in operative position andutilizing the hub-cap anchor.

The fender jack comprises a main rod 1, which for convenience intransportation may be made in section's, to be threadedly connected whendesired for use. The lower end of the rod is provided with a foot piece2, arranged for universal connection with the rod to permit desiredinclinations of the latter,

the foot piece having a serviceable gripping upper lift 9. The lift orgrip 9 includes anannular section 10 having an opening 11 of a diameterslightly greater than that. of the rod 1, and a radial'projectionpivoted to the link. With the annular section 10 in a plane at rightangles to the axial plane of the rod,-

the lift will slide freely on the rod, but with such section at adifferent angle the edges of the opening 11 will grip the rod and sohold the traveler at set position. a

The grip 9, hereinafter termed the upper grip, is slidably mounted andhence means are provided for holding it either in free sliding orlocking position at will. Such means may include a spring'12 having oneend underlying and connected at 13 to the element 9, and thenceextending downwardly and pivotally engaging a stud 14 on the web 7, thepart below the stud being formed into a return bend and the uprightportion 15 thereof being extended lengthwise the link 8, and connectedat its upper end thereto. A cam 16 is mounted on a pin extending throughtheweb 7, the cam being in position to swing the lower end of the spring12 on the stud 14, and'thus correspondingly move the lift-connected endof the spring. A finger piece 17 provides for operating the cam, and thearrangement is such that through the finger piece all pressure on thespring may be relieved, and the upper lift then be freely slidable onthe rod 1, or any desired pressure may be applied to the spring, and theupper lift given a corresponding gripping pressure on the rod 1.

A lower lift is carried by the body 4, comprising a member 18 having anopening slightly larger than the diameter of the rod 1, the member 18being carried by the lower end of a link 20,the upper end of which. ispivotally connected to a hand lever 21, which beyond the connection ofthe link thereto, is connected to the body 4. A spring 22, en'- gagingthe link and beneath the lower lift, serves normally to hold the lift toan angle other than a right angle to the rod 1, that is to say ingripping position.

' Obviously, the reciprocation of the hand lever 21 will bodily elevatethe lower lift in the upward movement of the lever, and then elevate thetraveler in the downward movement of the lever. As the lever is raised,the lower lift is brought to a right-angled position with relation tothe rod and moved upwardly on the rod, and, on the downward movement ofthe lever, the lower lift grips the rod and compels movement of thetraveler. Evidently the upper lift has to be set for gripping movementthrough operation of the finger piece 17, otherwise there could be noholding of the body 4 in its raised position to permit the necessaryfree following movement of the lower lift. Therefore, the operation ofthe traveler, both in movement and in degree ofmovement, is controlledby the setting of the finger piece 17.

The jack includes a fender clamp, whereby the movement of the travelermay be imparted to the fender. The fender clamp comprises a lifting bar23, formed at one end in a I return bend and terminally recessed at 24to interfit with the recessed lip 6 of the traveler body, the oppositeend of the bar having a right-angled projection 25, notched at the endto slidably engage the main rod 1. Fender clamping jaws 26 and 27 arecarried on a pin 28, freely rotatable'in the bar 23 and having anoperating handle. One of the jaws, as 26,

is freel turnable on a reduced portion of pin 28 imm diately beyond thebar 23, the other jaw 27 having threaded cooperation with the pin 28, aguide stud 28' for the jaw 27 pro ecting from the jaw 26. The clampingaws, which may be and preferably are formed with transverse channels forgripping pur oses, as at 29, are thus relatively adjustable or grlppingthe fender, and freely rotatable as a un1t relative to the lifting bar23, so that the latter may be turned in any position relative to theclamping 'aws.

The fender ack also includes, as a necessary adjunct, a hub-cap anchor,through use of which the fixed end of the main rod may be anchoredrelative to the hub-cap and against pushing 0r pulling strain on therod. The hub-cap anchor comprises a bracket having a clamping socket 30for engaging and securely holding the main rod 1, thebracket alsoincluding divergent arms 31 to straddle the hub-cap, such arms beingcovered by protective material, if desired.

The details of the hub-cap anchor are shown in Fig. 4, and'theapplication of the anchor in the use of the device is shown in Fig. 5,wherein the use of the tool for exerting a pulling effect on the fenderis indicated.

In use, assuming it be desired to lift the outer ed e of the fender, theclamping plates 26 and 2 are engaged with the fender at the appropriatepoint, and the lifting bar is turned vertically with the notchedprojection 25 lowermost. The recess 24 in the lifting bar is theninterfitted with the recessed lip 6 of the body of the traveler, andthelever 21' operated to move the traveler lengthwise the rod 1, andthrough the lifting bar 23, lift the fender. In this position the mainrod 1 rests on its foot piece 2, and may, obviously, have any convenientangle due to the universal connection of the foot piece and the rod. If

the fender is to be drawn downwardly, the connection of the fender clampis made as described, the main rod 1 reversed, and the hubcap anchorapplied to the bar and hub-cap to resist the movement of the rod.Operation of the fender clamp. will cause the traveler to move thefender in the desired direction.

Thus any free part of the fender may be readily forced in any desireddirection, or the fender may be rigidly held or supported while smallimperfections are hammered or ironed out. Thus in a single tool, capableof convenient portability, means are provided whereby the fender may beforced in any de-. sired direction and to any extent, thus greatlyfacilitating fender repair both in time and labor as compared with theordinary methods. Having described my invention, I claim 1. A fenderjack including a main rod, a traveler movable on said rod, means forimparting a step-by-step movement to the traveler, a fender clampincluding a lifting bar to be interlocked with the traveler, and meansfor anchoring the main rod to the hub-cap of the vehicle.

2. A fender jack including a fender clamp, a main rod, a hub-cap'anchorfor said rod, a traveler movable on said rod, said traveler includingupper and lower lifts interlocking with the rod when in relative angularposition therewith, means for operating the lower lift, and means foradjusting the interlocking relation of the upper lift and rod, and meansfor removably engaging the traveler and fender clamp.

3. A fender jack including a main rod, a traveler movable on said rod,upper and lower lifts to interlock with said rod, means for operatingthe lifts to impart a step-bystep movement to the traveler on said rod,and a fender clamp including a lifting bar adjustable to any anglerelative to the fender and interlocking the traveler.

4. A fender jack including a main rod,

"means whereby said rod may be anchored relatively to the hub-cap' ofthe vehicle, a

travelermovable lengthwise said rod in a step-by-step movement, meansfor interlocking the traveler and rod at each step, means for operatingthe traveler, and a fender clamp to engage the fender and including alifting bar freel movable relative to the such clamp, said lifting barbeing formed to interlock with the traveler, thereby to impart themovement of the traveler to the clamp and fender.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM E. THAYER.

